. >> rose: this is what he said in an interview with the paris review. "i have nothing to say about myself directly. i wouldn't know where to begin, in particular since i often look at myself in the mirror and say "whot the hell is that?" >> well, i think he probably had a pretty good idea of who have the hell that was. >> rose: and appreciation of who have the hell that was. >> yes, indeed. although he used mirrors as a metaphor for all kinds of -- i mean in a speech the last paragraph is all about when we look in the mirror. >> rose: is there something to be said or a reason to understand why he moved from poetry early in his life to prose later? >> i think he was always writing poetry and he continued to write poetry throughout the period of writing plays and prose. i think he ran out of gas for plays in the late 20th century but continued to write poetry and poetic prose up until his death. his love for antonia is an extraordinary and remarkable enduring testament to the power of adult relationships. >> rose: and scandalous in its beginning. >> scand